Soil organisms are fascinating and extremely diverse. However, they can be hard to study and much about what roles they are fulfilling in the soil ecosystems are unknown or poorly understood. The Global Biodiversity Atlas is a beautify put together collection of the information we currently know about this fascinating world in the soil. You can download a copy of the Atlas here.

Soil faces many challenges worldwide. Certain agricultural practices cause soil to degrade. Soil is depleted of nutrients and organic material, making it less productive. It is more prone to erosion when it is left bare between crops. Urbanization and development threating soil with soil sealing – covering the soil over with pavement or buildings. However, soil provides many important functions. It produces food, fuel, and fiber but it also plays a role in flood mitigation, regulation of greenhouse gases, and houses a wide variety of biodiversity (even being a source of important antibiotics). For a great visual of the many important functions, check out this graphic created by the UN’s Food and Agriculture Organization. 

Soil contains a large pool of carbon, more than twice as much as in the atmosphere. Adding carbon back into the soil has been proposed as a solution to help mitigate climate change. The Government of France has proposed increasing global carbon stocks by 0.4% to mitigate increased carbon dioxide in the atmosphere, called the “4 per 1000” initiative and they are expanding to get other governments and organizations on board. Learn more about this initiative here.